we could pretend it all the time
by what a feeling
Summary: a percy x annabeth soulmate au? in this climate? i must be kidding you (i'm not)
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hiiii I'm back on my bullshit wassup, just to let you guys know, I wrote this little bit when I was trying to fight through my writer's block last year and is inspired by Stucco Hearts by writergirl8 (which is sooooo fab I love it honestly!). Anyway, I'm obviously first going to try to finish damned if i do... but I'm writing a couple other fics on the side for when I get bored of the fwb fic, so I thought I would just post them and update them as and when I get them done, even though my current priority is DIID (Should've picked an easier name to type)!_

_Long story short: this story will get updated, really, REALLY sporadically! Just wondering if it's even an idea worth pursuing, I personally kind of like it but oh well ? See yous soon and hope everyone has a lovely holiday season! xx_

Soulmates were a… strange concept.

Percy Jackson, for one, had no idea how he felt about them. Somewhere out there was a person, specifically meant to be _his_. His mom had described his dad as someone who completed her. She'd said it felt like her life just didn't sit right until she met Percy's dad. And when she saw him, everything just worked. Like the brochures and pamphlets said, Sally Jackson had matched her tattoo with Percy's dad, and there had been an explosion of color- the world was more vivid, her life was fuller. She felt whole.

Percy didn't know how much of that he cared for. He found himself thinking about his soulmate on the morning his seventeenth birthday. He tried to imagine a girl with the same blue tattoo of a trident as him on the inside of her wrist, waiting for him. He hadn't met her yet, but his life felt plenty perfect without her. He didn't _want_ to sound bitter about it- he just… had everything he needed already. He wasn't sure how she'd slot into his life.

"Percy, I can hear you worrying from all the way over here." Annabeth whined. She rested her palms on his chest and propped her chin up and studied him with large gray eyes. Percy tried to smooth his features. Annabeth was, above all, his best friend- she could read him easier than she could an actual book. Hiding anything from her was damn near impossible.

"What are you thinking?" She asked. Percy couldn't help himself. He reached out and wound his fingers in her wavy blonde hair, and tugged lightly at it. She leaned into his touch.

"Just how lucky I am to have you in my life." He told her. It wasn't a _total_ lie. He'd thought about his soulmate on and off for seventeen years, sure, but he'd thought about Annabeth every single day since the day he'd met her. She was always there, in the back of his mind- sometimes he would even think in her voice.

"Happy birthday, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth said with a big smile. She wrapped her arm around his chest and hoisted herself up over him, ducking her head until she reached his lips and kissed him softly, slowly. Percy cupped her face with one hand, disentangling his other from her hair so he could wrap it around her waist. He bit her tongue lightly and she let out a strangled sound that made Percy all too happy to keep going at this pace, except-

"Percy, honey, are you up?" His mom knocked against his door.

"Fuck." Percy muttered into Annabeth's lips, using both his hands to hold her by the hips and push her off him. She was already moving, grabbing her shoes in one hand and her jeans from last night in the other. She looked around the room in panic, a sight that might have been comical if Percy wasn't so worried about getting caught.

"Uh, yeah, Mom, I'll… uh… be out in ten." He called back. There was a long pause, and Percy could swear his mother sighed.

"Okay, ten minutes and I'm coming in." She warned. He heard her footsteps retreating and looked at Annabeth, who was already struggling out of the window and into the fire escape. Even she paused at his mom's words and looked at him.

"Do you think she knows I'm here?" She asked. Percy shook his head.

"I don't know." He admitted. "But at least she isn't mad… yet."

Annabeth smiled a little at that. "Let me know how it goes. I love you." She said.

"Oh, and Annabeth!" Percy called as she skipped down the stairs. She looked up as he poked his head out of the window. "Happy one year."

"You too, Jackson." She said with a grin. "Hope you've got special plans for our date tonight."

"Don't you know it!"

When he got downstairs, his mom and stepdad were already at the breakfast table, crowded around a pile of blue waffles. His baby half-sister, Estelle, was in her seat, tossing bits of her food at Percy in celebration. He kissed the top of her head and joined his parents at the table. His mom gave him a big hug.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." She said. She looked like she might be close to tears. "I can't believe you're seventeen already."

"_Mom_." Percy complained. His stepdad chuckled.

"Happy birthday, Percy." Paul Blofis, Percy's stepdad and a man who was most definitely _not_ his mom's soulmate, said. Percy liked Paul. He was cool and funny and liked Percy- three things Percy appreciated in people. He shook Paul's hand and sat down.

"Are you and Annabeth going to do anything fun today?" His mom asked. She wiggled her brows so Percy knew she didn't know he'd already done one very fun thing with Annabeth already. If she had the slightest idea at all, Percy would be grounded for life. He wondered what she might have thought he was doing this morning.

"Well," He said, glancing at Paul. "I kind of promised her I'd planned something special." He admitted. "But so far all I can think to do is take her out to dinner. Which we've done a hundred times before."

His parents both frowned. "Why'd you lie to her?" His mom asked him gently. "I'm sure she wouldn't have minded if you'd just told her the truth."

"I know, I just… I don't want her to feel like I don't care about her, you know, because I do. And she-" He stopped himself. He didn't really know where he was going with it, anyway.

"Why don't you guys drive to Coney Island?" Paul suggested. "Remember how much you loved going there as kids?"

"Paul, that's…" Percy looked at his stepdad. "Not a bad idea at _all_. That would be a _great_ anniversary date."

"But be careful, Percy." His mom said gently. "Remember Annabeth's a lot… less afraid of the rides than you are."

Percy glared at his mom. "Mom I'm seventeen, not twelve anymore. I'm just as brave as she is."

"I know, I know." His mom laughed. "We've got to take Stella to get her jabs." She said. "And go grocery shopping so you and Annabeth can help me bake your cake. Is that okay? Do you want to come with?"

Percy shook his head no, a little bummed out because if he knew he was going to be home alone, he wouldn't have pushed his girlfriend out a window. He ended up calling her up anyway and speaking to her for hours on end, ignoring all the birthday messages his phone kept lighting up with.

"Also, Percy, I need to tell you something." Annabeth said, her voice quieter. Percy waited patiently. "I uh… I'm considering applying to college in California. Berkley and Stanford."

Percy wasn't about to kid himself into believing he had the grades for either of those schools. He wasn't totally hopeless at school, but Annabeth was on a league of her own. She deserved to go to these places, and he would never hold that against her. Then his mind floated elsewhere, something he felt a little less supportive of.

"Is it because of him? Luke?" He asked her. His voice was strained, but how could it not be?

Luke Castellan was Annabeth's soulmate. He was tall and muscular and handsome as the devil. He was cool and laidback and a great guy. Percy hated him. Luke was also a whole seven years older than Annabeth. They'd met when Annabeth had run away from home and Luke rescued her. Annabeth had described it a little like his mom did- their little deep purple glittery tattoos matched and they got along instantly, and the world suddenly became hi-def, but she also described it very differently from his mom- she didn't feel whole, or better, or any different after meeting him.

He was just Luke, to her. Luke, who watched out for her for nearly her whole life. Luke, who cared for her when her parents didn't. She'd never considered a romantic relationship with him, which was just as well, because he was too old for her, anyway. On her sixteenth birthday, a month before she and Percy had started dating, Luke sat her down and told her the law. They were going to _have_ to give their relationship a fair shot. When she was older, twenty-one, they both decided, they would start seeing a counsellor. People sometimes needed that when they didn't get on with their soulmates the way they were meant to.

Annabeth had promised to give Luke a shot when she'd already fallen too deeply in love with Percy, so where was the truth in that?

Twenty one felt like a long time away. Except it wasn't. Because Annabeth would turn twenty one as she graduated college, and that would be the end of her relationship with Percy. She was legally obligated to form some romantic bond with Luke, whether she liked it or not. It was just the way things were done.

And Percy would be left behind. He'd have to find his own soulmate and marry her, whoever she was. He didn't want that. He didn't want a soulmate, or a law telling him whom to love. He wanted _Annabeth_. He wanted to wake up with her head on his chest and he wanted to make her those banana pancakes that she loved so much and he wanted to kiss her without feeling any guilt and he wanted to surprise her one night by asking her to marry him, ring and all. He wanted to grow old with her and start a family with her and he wanted, more than anything in the world, to be able to love Annabeth freely.

And Luke, and Percy's stupid soulmate- they wouldn't let that happen.

"I don't know. If it's for him." Annabeth admitted. Hearing it was a lot harder than Percy had anticipated. They're both quiet for a very long time.

"I want a forever with you." Annabeth said finally. She sounded close to tears. They'd tried not to discuss the downsides of their relationship- but there was only so much running they could do. Percy wondered if she'd spent sleepless nights thinking about them like he had.

"I know." He said quietly. "We'll find a way. Besides, divorces are totally legal, right? Maybe we'll just… get divorces and be together. Like your dad and Claire."

"I don't _want_ to watch you marry some woman." Annabeth said. "And I _don't_ want to marry some other man. I want to be with you."

Percy wished he could wrap her in a hug and hide her from the unfairness of the world. He felt his own eyes stinging.

"Me too." He said quietly. There was a long pause in their conversation and Percy heard his family come back into the house. Annabeth must have, too, because she sniffled.

"Is it baking time? I'm on my way."

"I love you." Percy said.

"Me too." Annabeth told him softly before the line went off.

Annabeth came over in a yellow sundress and a bright smile. She hugged Percy and wished him a happy birthday and he kept his arm around her waist the whole time they 'baked' the cake. Baking was, by tradition, the chance for Sally Jackson to chat to her son and his girlfriend (then best friend) while she did all the work and Percy and Annabeth sat on the counter and watched her. All three participants loved it.

"So, Annabeth, what is this I hear about you wanting to quit the volleyball team this year?" His mom asked as she broke the eggs into a bowl. Annabeth handed her the egg beater and shrugged.

"I just think it's getting a little too much." She said. "Track and soccer _and_ volleyball sounded great in the beginning, but now… I've got the SATs to study for, and… Berkley has a high cut off."

"Berkley?" Percy's mom asked, raising her brows. "That's new. But you should go for it, darling, you will thrive, wherever you are." She smiled at Annabeth like she was her own daughter.

Percy pulled his girlfriend even closer to him, his grip on her waist tightening. He pressed a kiss on her cheek, biting her ear when his mom wasn't watching. She swatted him away.

"I'm a little nervous. Clarisse and Silena both say that college is totally different from high school and that it's awesome, but… I _understand_ high school, you know? What if I don't get college?"

"I'm sure that isn't going to be a problem, honey." His mom said mildly. "Besides, you'll always have each other. A bond like yours isn't common to find." She nodded at the two of them and Percy felt his cheeks heat up.

His mom looked at him after the cake was safely in the oven, and raised a brow.

"Don't you kids have somewhere to be? An anniversary _date_, perhaps?" She asked pointedly.

"Oh. Yeah, we do." Percy checked his watch. "We'll grab lunch on the way."

"I thought it was a dinner date?" Annabeth asked, not looking particularly bothered. Percy shook his head.

"Oh no, it's a whole afternoon and evening and maybe into the night kind of date. Let's go."

Their date went beautifully. Annabeth loved Coney Island and they went on all the rides, including the ones Percy had to pretend not to be scared of. They sat by the beach and ate ice cream and talked about school and their families and tried to answer life's greatest questions. Annabeth's long hair looked like liquid gold in the sunset and her cheeks were tinged pink the whole day and she kissed him a lot. The date was perfect. _She_ was perfect. He wanted the moment to last forever, wanted to ignore how his gut churned uneasily, as if it were the calm before the storm.

After the moon was out, Percy held her hand and led her back to his car.

"Do you ever think about leaving?" She asked him. He looked at her.

"And going where?"

"I don't know. Greece. Japan. Paraguay." Annabeth said absently. "Just… away."

"But Manhattan…. this is our home."

He knew as soon as the words left his mouth that it was the wrong thing to say. Manhattan wasn't Annabeth's home. The closest thing she even had to a home was, well… him. She'd said so a million times before. She wasn't really wanted at either of her parents' homes, reminding them too much of a life they'd chosen to leave behind. They could erase memories, but they couldn't erase their child. A child who'd grown up feeling like an outsider in her own home for no fault of hers, except, if you wanted to be cruel, being born.

"I know, I just sometimes wish… life would be different." Annabeth said.

"Change isn't always a good thing." Percy told her. She nodded her head and looked up to meet his eye.

"Yeah, but it's not always a bad thing, either."

If they had the slightest clue how their lives were about to change.

They walked down the parking lot hand-in-hand. A girl was stood by Percy's car, looking out onto the shore. She was beautiful. She had brown hair and a petite frame and delicate features. When she heard them approach her, she looked up with large brown eyes. When their gaze met, Percy's breath caught. He nearly choked.

Next to him, Annabeth's hold on his hand loosened. He blinked at her. She looked even more beautiful, suddenly. The whole world did. Percy felt like he'd just put on glasses and was seeing life in high definition. He stared at the girl, warmth blooming in his chest. His heart fluttered at the sight of her. She offered him a small, hesitant smile.

"Hi." She said when they were close enough. "I don't know how to say this, but… I'm-"

"My soulmate." Percy blurted. His voice was croaky.

Without another word, she rolled up the sleeve of her blouse, showing him a blue trident tattooed on her inner wrist. Percy mirrored her actions and they both stared down at their matching marks.

Next to him, Annabeth sniffled, drawing him out of his reverie.

"Oh, Annabeth-" He started to say, but she was already running away. He looked back helplessly at the girl.

"I'm so sorry, can you just-?" Words failed him. "Stay here. Please. I'll be back."

He chased after Annabeth, who hadn't gotten very far, apparently, because he found her behind one of the cars in the lot. She'd pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her hands and she sobbed like it was the end of the world. Percy's throat ran dry.

"Annabeth, I-" He stopped. What was he meant to say? He wanted so badly to tell her she had nothing to worry about- that he'd given her his whole heart with no reservations. He thought about the girl by his car- he didn't even know her name- but he realized he wanted to get to know her. He'd spent so long resenting her that he'd never considered that he might actually even be curious about her.

He dropped to the ground next to his girlfriend. "I'm so sorry."

Annabeth cried until she ran out of tears. Percy sat beside her and let her. She wiped at her eyes furiously.

"You should speak to her." She said finally, sounding like she was sick. "I'll wait for you in the car."

So Percy lead her back to the car, seated her in the passenger seat, and, despite wanting nothing but to hold her close, he shut her in, turning to the girl. She'd waited.

"I'm sorry about that." Percy said. "I just… this is all so much. How did you find me?"

"I followed my gut." She said simply. "I'm Calypso."

"Percy." Percy told her. He wasn't sure if he was meant to hug her or shake her hand, so he settled for leaning against the bumper of the car. "What do you mean, followed your gut?"

"I don't know." She said, shaking her head. "I just… felt like you might be near. Did you never get that feeling?"

Percy didn't know. He never thought about going looking for her. If he'd had any gut instinct at all, he must have assumed he was hungry and scarfed down some bacon. He shook his head and felt his cheeks heat up.

"This is so strange." He said finally. Calypso laughed. She was stunning, without trying to be. Percy had no idea how to act around her.

"I know. I'm sorry for just- springing up on you like this."

"It's alright." Percy told her. "I just- I can't believe it's actually you." He started to say.

Maybe under different circumstances, he would have said more, but Annabeth was in his car right now, feeling miserable, and Percy couldn't leave her alone. He also knew he couldn't completely ignore the girl in front of him- Calypso, she'd said. He felt a little helpless, but his soulmate glanced over her shoulder at the car and gave him a small smile.

"I understand, Percy." She said, drawing his name out. "It's getting late. I should probably get home, anyway. I just- didn't want to lose the chance to meet you."

Percy was grateful for her words. "I'll give you my number." He said. "Text me. We should go to coffee sometime."

He didn't know what was a nice way to say not on a date, but he looked desperately back at Annabeth and hoped Calypso would understand. Miraculously, she did seem to get the general idea. She pursed her lips and nodded, handing him her phone. Percy keyed in his number as quickly as he could and handed it back to her. They said their goodbyes and he watched her walk away from the car park.

By the time he joined Annabeth, her sobs had dulled into harsh hiccups. Her face was streaked with tears and makeup and her eyes were red and puffy. The sight made Percy's heart twist with guilt. How could he even entertain the idea of meeting Calypso who Annabeth was falling apart in front of him? He shouldn't have given her his number.

He reached out and brushed her bangs out of her face.

"I'm so sorry, I never-"

"What for?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was shaky, but he could tell she wasn't angry. She just sounded… empty.

"About her. Calypso. If I'd known-"

"This was stupid." Annabeth said miserably. "I mean, I knew it was stupid. I_ am_ stupid." She mumbled, almost to herself. "We can't do this anymore, can we?" She asked him.

The words hit Percy like a sledgehammer to the chest, knocking the air out of him. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, slowly, deeply, but it didn't _work_ anymore. Something between them was gone. And it was all his fault.

Annabeth had chosen him over her soulmate without a second thought. She'd told anybody who'd listen that she had no intention of seeing anything through with Luke. She didn't so much as flinch when Luke had girls over for the night. She'd made her decision so quickly, so _easily_. And Percy couldn't do the same for her.

That was the cold, hard truth. Percy _couldn't_ close the door on Calypso as easily as Annabeth had Luke. He _needed_ to know- what made them soulmates. Why it couldn't have been his girlfriend instead. He loved Annabeth with every fiber of his being, but he had to see some things through, Calypso being one of them.

"I'm so sorry." He said again. Annabeth looked out of the window and didn't respond.

She didn't speak the whole drive home. He dropped her to her mom's house, and she didn't so much as thank him for the ride before running down the driveway. When Percy got home, he ignored his parents, who were chatting in the living room, stomped up to his room and slammed the door shut.

"Argh!" He cried to nothing in particular. "Fuck. _Fuck_… FUCK!"

He replayed the events of the night over and over again. He was so in love with Annabeth it physically hurt his chest. He didn't want a future with someone else, not even Calypso. But he also didn't want to live his whole life wondering what might have happened if he'd actually sat down to talk to the girl.

"Honey? Are you okay?" His mom's voice sounded from the other side of the door. Percy let her in and sunk to the ground. It took him all of one second before he was telling her everything. The date and the kissing and the sunset and Calypso and the breakup.

_Breakup_.

It didn't sound real. It felt like something _other_ people went through. Not Percy and Annabeth. They were solid as a rock. To his horror, Percy burst into tears when talking about the car ride home.

"I don't want to lose her, Mom." He said. He sniffled and wiped furiously at the tears in his eyes. It just didn't seem fair.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart. I think you did the right thing, choosing to explore things with this new girl. What did you say her name was?"

"Calypso." Percy said miserably. His mom smiled and ran a hand through his hair. She pressed a kiss on his forehead.

"You've become such a wonderful young man, Percy." She said. "I know you care about Annabeth. You'll do what's right by her, even if she doesn't see it that way."

"But Mom she's going to hate me. Without me, she's got nobody."

"You underestimate that girl." His mom said with a fond smile. "She's tougher than nails and sharp as a knife. She'll be fine, whatever you choose to do. You need to think of yourself sometimes, too, you know."

Percy went to sleep that night with tears in his eyes, and woke up the next morning with a wet pillow.

He rolled over and picked up his phone instinctively, to read Annabeth's messages, except he had none. Instead, he had one text from Calypso's number, and it read:

_Hey, Percy. It's Calypso. I hope I didn't ruin anything. You seemed really upset. It's okay if you don't see want to see me again, but it was really nice to meet you. Take care_!

Percy read the message about forty times before setting down his phone and sinking into his pillows. He wished he could scream. What was he meant to do?

He closed his eyes and went back to bed.


	2. please bear with me lol

hi again! So... I kind of really like this idea. I wrote this chapter with every intention of making it a multi-chap fic! Because I have written only the first chapter- I am currently in a position where I can decide the pace at which this story goes. For example, will the rest of the story occur when they're older and the first chap serve as a prologue or will they be teenagers.. I have many ideas for so many situations so I'm taking some time to figure it out! I've not mapped out the story yet so please bear with me. it was dumb to post it without thinking it through but I feel like this au really excites me! so...

tl;dr: I will update this story but it might be very slow. My apologies! Until then I hope u enjoy the one-shots I'm spewing. Also, if u have any prompts, shoot me an ask on tumblr perceabeth !


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